A is For Asylum Seeker: Words For People On The Move/A de Asilo: Palabras Para Personas en Movimiento

A clear and concise A-to-Z of keywords that echo our current human rights crisis As millions are forced to leave their nations of origin as a result of political, economic, and environmental peril, rising racism and xenophobia have led to increasingly harsh policies. A mass-mediated political circus obscures both histories of migration and longstanding definitions of words for people on the move, fomenting widespread linguistic confusion. Under this circus tent, there is no regard for history, legal advocacy, or jurisprudence. Yet in a world where the differences between "undocumented migrant" and "asylum seeker" can mean life or death, words have weighty consequences. A timely antidote to this circus, A is for Asylum Seeker reframes key words that describe people on the move. Written to correct the de-meaning of terms by rhetoric and policies based on dehumanization and profitable incarceration, this glossary provides an intersectional and historically grounded consideration of the words deployed in enflamed debate. Skipping some letters of the alphabet while repeating others, thirty terms cover everything from Asylum-seeker to Zero Tolerance Policy. Each entry begins with a contemporary or historical story for illustration and then proceeds to discuss the language politics of the word. The book balances terms affected by current political debates--such as "migrant," "refugee," and "illegal alien"--and terms that offer historical context to these controversies, such as "fugitive," "unhoused," and "vagrant." Rendered in both English and Spanish, this book offers a unique perspective on the journeys, histories, challenges, and aspirations of people on the move. Enhancing the book's utility as an educational and organizing resource, the author provides a list of works for further reading as well as a directory of immigration-advocacy organizations throughout the United States. *****
Un claro y breve abecedario de palabras clave que hacen eco en nuestra crisis humanitaria presente. Mientras millones son forzados de huir de sus naciones de origen debido a peligro pol穩tico, econ籀mico, y ecol籀gico, racismo y xenofobia han llevado a pol穩ticas m獺s y m獺s severas. Un circo pol穩tico en los medios oculta a ambas las historias de inmigraci籀n y las definiciones antiguas de palabras para personas en movimiento, creando confusi籀n ling羹穩stica amplia. Bajo esta carpa de circo, no hay consideraci籀n para historia, defensa legal, o jurisprudencia. Pero en un mundo donde las diferencias entre "migrante indocumentade" y "solicitante de asilo" pueden ser la diferencia entre vida y muerte, palabras tienen consecuencias graves. Un ant穩doto oportuno a este circo, A de Asilo re-enmarca palabras claves que describen a personas en movimiento. Escrito para corregir la de-significaci籀n de t矇rminos por ret籀rica y pol穩ticas basadas en deshumanizaci籀n y encarcelaci籀n lucrosa, este glosario provee una consideraci籀n interseccional e hist籀rica de las palabras usadas en debate inflamado. Brincando a unas letras del alfabeto mientras repite a otras, treinta t矇rminos cubren todo desde Asilo a Tolerancia Cero. Cada art穩culo empieza con una historia contempor獺nea u hist籀rica para ilustrar, y despu矇s discute la pol穩tica alrededor de la palabra. El libro balancea t矇rminos impactados por debates pol穩ticos contempor獺neos--como "migrante," "refugiado" y "extranjero ilegal"--y t矇rminos que ofrecen contexto hist籀rico a estas controversias, como "fugitivo" "sin casa" y "vagante." Escrito en ingl矇s y espa簽ol, este libro ofrece una perspectiva 繳nica en las jornadas, historias, retos, y aspiraciones de personas en movimiento. Aumentando la utilidad del libro como un recurso educacional y organizacional, la autora provee una lista de obras para m獺s lectura, igual que un directorio de organizaciones de defensa de inmigrantes a trav矇s de los Estados Unidos.